Device for holding coils of strip metal



June 10, 1958 A. F. GROLL 2,838,165

DEVICE FOR HOLDING COILS OF STRIP METAL" Filed June 21, 1956 5Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. AL l //V G/POLL ATTORNEYS June 10, 1958 A. F.GROLL 2,838,165

DEVICE FOR HOLDING COILS 0F STRIP METAL Filed June 21, 1956 v 5Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

6L W/V F GROLL z WM ATTORNEYS June 10, 1958 Filed June 21. 1956 v A. F.iou. DEVICE FOR aoLnIzgdcolLs OF STRIP METAL 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 35 A "J G;l: 36

39 25 9 [26 j f 30L INVENTOR. 4/. V//\/ F GROLL ATTORNEYS United St21tSPata t 2,838,165 DEVICE FOR HOLDING COILS F STRIP METAL Alvin FrankGroll, Napoleon, Ohio Application June 21, 1956, Serial No. 592,974

8 Claims. (Cl. 198-221) Strip metal usually steel from which shapes areto be cut by power presses is supplied in coils the outside di- I takenfor replacing coils that have become exhausted be kept at a minimum. Afresh coil should be in place,

aligned and ready to roll into such position that the fresh "stripcan'be threaded through the processing mechanism closely afterthetail'of the strip that is being used up.

"The device of thisinvent-ion has utility for holding coils in readinessto be shifted into the mechanism of presses of various types, e. g.hydraulic presses, screw presses and toggle presses, but it has itshighest utility when employed with high production presses such as powerupresses in which'slides are actuated by cranksl it is an object of thisinvention to providemeans for holding coils of strip metal inposition tobe promptly 6 introduced into press mechanism.

.it isfa further object of the invention to provide imfcproved means forproperly aligning and guiding such coils to prevent them from going intothe press mechanism askew. T

' "Still a further object of the invention is to provide a strip metalcoil holder-having aligning and guiding means i which are easily andsimply adjustable to accommodate coils of strip stock of varying widths.

And itis a further object of the invention to provide a coil holderhaving easily adjustable aligning and guid- "ing means and cooperatingdevices to initiate rolling movement of the heavy coils and thus causethem to travel along the guides and thence into the press mechanism.

Other objects and many advantages of the invention will appear uponperusal of the following description illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings in which:

'Fig. I is a view in perspective of a holder for coils of strip steelembodying this invention;

' Fig. 11 is a vertical transverse section taken as indicated by theline lL-JI of Fig. III;

Fig. 111 isa vertical longitudinal section taken as indicated by theline Ill-III of Fig. 11;

Fig. 1V is a side elevational view of a coil aligning and guidingstructure which is a feature of the invention; and i is a similar viewof a modified form of aligning and guiding structure.

. These drawings and the descripton that follows illus- V trate anddescribe a preferred form of the invention but theyare not intended tolimit its scope.

The holder for strip steel coils of this invention comprises a fiattable (which may be level or slightly in- 2,838,165 Patented June 10,1958 ice 7 clined) the table having parallel slots through whichinclined pushers emerge and swing forwardly to engage coils of stripsteel and set such coils into movement. The pushers are actuated byfluid pressure which an operator can apply at will. Horizontal guiderails extend above the table and are adjustable toward or away from eachother to accommodate coils of strip stock of various .widths. The guiderails remain parallel in all adjustments, being mounted on arms whichare pivoted at the sides of the table and being counterbalanced for easymanipulation.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the frame 1 of the machine is inthe form of a rectangular box, the sides 2 of which have outwardlyextending upper flanges 3 and lower flanges 4 along their edgessurmounting the sides 2 and secured, preferably, by welding, to theupper outwardly extending flanges 3 is a table 5 reinforced by dependingribs 6, 7, 8 and 9, there being parallel slots 10, 11 and 12 extendinglongitudinally through the mid portion of the table.

Underlying the sides 2 and secured to the lower flanges 4 aretransversely extending base bars 13 and 14 and fixed to the base bars 13and 14 and alsoto the flanges 4 and 3 of the sides 2 are uprightbrackets 15, 16, 17 and Thebrackets 15, 16, 17 and 18 are provided withcircular openings to receive the ends of stub shafts one of and 23. The'collars closely surround the shafts on which they are mounted.

, Fixed to the upper ends of thearms and 26 are aligning and guide railsections 31 and 32 and similar aligning and guide rail sections 33 and34 are fixed to the upper ends of the arms 27 and 28. The guide railspreferably are tubular and their ends preferably are closed by plugssuch as those indicated by the numerals 35 and 36, the plugs 36 beingfrusto-conical in shape to avoid damage to strip stock which might occurif the edge of. the strip stock should strike a sharp corner at the endof a rail section. The weights of the arms and the aligning and guiderails are counterbalanced by solid cylindrical counterweights 37 and.38, so that the center of mass of each structure consisting of a pairof arms,

guiding rail sections and a cylindrical counterweight and ous positionstoembrace, align and guide coils of strip 1 steel of various widths.

To achieve great strength and rigidity, struts 39, 40, 41 and areinterposed between the inner ends of the rail sections 31 and 32 and 33and 34 and the solid cylindrical counterweights 37 and 38, ribs 43 aresecured to the rail sections 31 and 32 and gussets 44 are placed in thecorners where the arms 25 and 26 meet the rail sections 31 and 32. Witha rail section, an arm, astrut, a rib and a gusset welded together andthe arm and the strut welded to the solid cylindrical counterweight thestructure is stronger and more rigid than the structure illustrated inFig. V having a rail which is continuous but unbraced at its center. Bydividing the rail, stronger ,welds can be made, simpler and lessexpensive fixtures may be used to clamp the parts in position to bewelded together and s't'iains 'r'esiilting frorh' f ordible alignment ofjoints are slots such as designated by the numeral 45 and formedona'rn'is and 26, 2;7and 2 are'sectors such "asdesignated by thehumeral'46 from {which studssuch as are 'de'signatedby the numeral '47 projectin the arcuat e slots. Cljainpin'g'nuts such as are designated by thenumeral 48 are threadedonto the studs and served to lock the arms inadjusted position. Thus whenever the operator desires to movethe'a'ligning and guiderail sections closer together or further apart,he simply loosens the clamping nutsandswings the rail sections to theirnew positions table 5 by means of'a shop crane or rolled upon the tablefrom a truck it is important that the movement of the coil onto thetable be not impeded by projections and it is also important that thecoil be prevented from rolling too far along the table. For this reasonthe pushers for initiating the rolling movement of coils when they areto be shifted from the coil holder of this invention to the processingmechanism, are designed to be capable of withdrawal through the slots10, 11 and 12 and chocks are so designed as to emerge from the slotswhen the pushers are withdrawn. The pushers 50, 51 and 52 are formedintegrally with the chocks 53, and with a sleeve 56 which is rotatablymounted upon a spindle 57 which is supported by the ribs 6 and 7thatdepend from the table 5. Thus the pushers and chocks can pivot as aunit about the axis of the spindle 57.

' Integral with the sleeve 56 and extending downwardly therefrom is acrank arm 58 which is connected by means of a crank pin 59 and a yoke 60to a plunger rod 61 that extends into a cylinder 70. The cylinder 70 ishingedly connected to an end plate 71 of the box-like frame 1. The hingeconnection 72 between the cylinder 70 and the end plate 71 permits theplunger rod 61 to move endwise without binding notwithstanding thearcuate path of the crank pin 59.

When fluid such as air or oil is admitted under pressure to the cylinder70 and acts upon a plunger 73 to force the plunger rod 61 outwardly thepushers 50 are swung counterclockwise (as seen in Fig. III) to initiaterolling movement of the coil into the processing mechanism of the punchpress. Conversely when the plunger rod 61 is drawn inwardly the pushers50 are withdrawn into the slots 10, 11 and 12 and the chocks 53, 54 and55 emerge from the slots to prevent a coil from rolling prematurely intothe processing mechanism. If the plunger rod 61 be only partially drawninto the cylinder, the pushers 50 and the chocks 53 will all projectsufliciently above the table to prevent the coil from rolling too far ineither direction.

When the punch press operator is ready to replace an exhausted coil, hehas only to admit fluid to the cylinder 70 whereupon the chocks 53 willmove out of the way and the pushers '50 will start the coil to rollingalong the table between the aligning and guiding rails that have beenadjusted to prevent the coil from going askew. The operator then canimmediately thread the new strip into the processing mechanism and whilethat strip is being unwound another coil can be loaded onto the coilholder.

The coil holder above described has a capacity of one coilbut by merelylengthening the table and extending or duplicating some elements of themechanism I "be sufficiently rigid and strong the rails 31a may becontinuous and struts may be'omitted.

It is to be understood that the device described in the A foregoingspecification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings is exemplaryonly and that it is subject to modification and change within-thespirit-andscope of the subjoined claims. e I claim:

- 1. A device for holding coils of strip metal compris ing, incombination, a table having openings in its upper surface, chockspivotally mounted beneath said table and adapted to be swung frompositions in Which they project upwardly through certain parts of saidopenings to positions in which'theyare non-projecting, pushers pivotaziymounted beneath said table and adapted to be swung from non-projectingpositions to positions in which they project upwardly through otherparts of said openings to engage and impart rolling movements to coilsof rip metal supported on said table, said chocks and pushers beingrigidly fixed together, fluid pressure means for swinging said chocksand pushers into and out of nonprojecting positions, parallelcylindrical tubular rails extending above said table in position to liealong the sides of and align and guide coils of strip metal supported onsaid table and thus prevent such coils from becoming askew when saidpushers impart rolling movement thereto, said rails being divided intosections, arms carrying the sections of said rails, brackets extendingoutwardly at each side of said table, said arms being mounted on saidbrackets for pivotal adjustment to space said rails for theaccommodation of coils of strip metal of various widths, counterbalancesalso carried by said arms whereby the centers of mass of said arms andthe parts carried thereby are in proximity to the axes of pivotaladjustment of said arms and means comprising studs fixedly connected tosaid arms and positionable along arcuate slots in said brackets forlocking said arms and the sections of rails carried thereby in adjustedpositions.

2. A device for-holding coils of strip metal comprising, in combination,a table having openings in its upper surface, pushers pivotally mountedbeneath said table and adapted to be swung from non-projecting positionsto positions in which they project upwardly through other parts of saidopenings to engage and impart rolling movements to coils of strip metalsupported on said table, fluid pressure means for swinging said pushersinto and out of non-projecting positions, parallel rails extending abovesaid table in position to lie along the sides of and align and guidecoils of strip metal supported on said table and thus prevent such coilsfrom becoming askew when said pushers impart rolling movement thereto,said rails being divided into sections, arms carrying the sections ofsaid rails, brackets extending outwardly at each side of said table,said arms being mounted on said brackets for pivotal adjustment to spacesaid rails for the accommodation of coils of strip metal of variousWidths, counterbalances also carried by said arms whereby the centers ofmass of said arms and the parts carried thereby are in proximity to theaxes of pivotal adjustment. of said arms and means comprising studsfixedly connected to said arms and positionable along arcuate slots insaid brackets for locking said arms and the sections of rails carriedthereby in adjusted positions.

3. A device for holding coils of strip metal comprising, in combination,a table, parallel cylindrical tubular rails extending above said tablein position to lie along the sides of and align and guide coils of stripmetal supported on said table and thus prevent such coils from becomingaskew, said rails being divided into sections, arms carrying thesections of said rails, brackets extending outwardly at each side ofsaid table, said arms being mounted on said brackets for pivotaladjustment to space said rails for the accommodation of coils of stripmetal of various widths, counterbalances also carried by said armswhereby the centers of mass of said arms and the parts carried therebyare in proximity to the axes of pivotal adjustment of said arms andmeans comprising studs fixedly connected to said arms and positionablealong arcuate slots in said brackets-for locking said arms and thesections of rails carried thereby in adjusted positions.

4. A device for holding coils of strip metal comprising, in combination,a table having openings in its upper surface, chocks pivotally mountedbeneath said table and adapted to be swung from positions in which theyproject upwardly through certain parts of said openings to positions inwhich they are non-projecting, pushers pivotally mounted beneath saidtable and adapted to be swung from non-projecting positions to positionsin which they project upwardly through other parts of said openings toengage and impart rolling movements to coils of strip metal supported onsaid table, said chocks and pushers being rigidly fixed together, fluidpressure means for swinging said checks and pushers into and out ofnon-projecting positions, parallel rails extending above said table inposition to lie along the sides of and align and guide coils of stripmetal supported on said table and thus prevent such coils from becomingaskew when said pushers impart rolling movement thereto, said railsbeing divided into sections, arms carrying the sections of said rails,brackets extending outwardly at each side of said table, said arms beingmounted on said brackets for pivotal adjustment to space said rails forthe accommodation of coils of strip metal of various widths,counter-balances also carried by said arms whereby the centers of massof said arms and the parts carried thereby are in proximity to the axesof pivotal adjustment of said arms and means for locking said arms andthe sections of rails carried thereby in adjusted positions.

5. A device for holding coils of strip metal comprising, in combination,a table having openings in its upper surface, chocks pivotally mountedbeneath said table and adapted to be swung from positions in which theyproject upwardly through certain parts of said openings to positi-ons inwhich they are non-projecting, pushers pivotally mounted beneath saidtable and adapted to be' swung from non-projecting positions topositions in which they project upwardly through other parts of saidopenings to' engage and impart rolling movements to coils of strip metalsupported on said table, said chocks and pushers being rigidly fixedtogether, fluid pressure means for swinging said checks and pushers intoand out of nonprojecting positions, parallel rails extending above saidtable in position to lie along the sides of and align and guide coils ofstrip metal supported on said table and thus prevent such coils frombecoming askew when said pushers impart rolling movement thereto, armscarrying said rails, brackets extending outwardly at each side of saidtable, said arms being mounted on said brackets for pivotal adjustmentto space said rails for the accommodation of coils of strip metal ofvarious widths, counterbalances also carried by said arms whereby thecenters of mass of said arms and the parts carried thereby are inproximity to the axes of pivotal adjustment of'said arms and meanscomprising studs fixedly connected to said arms .and positionable alongarcuate slotsin said brackets for locking said arms in the rails carriedthereby in adjusted positions. I

6. A device for holding coils of strip metal comprising,

positions in which they project upwardly through other parts of saidopenings to engage and impart rolling move ments to coils of strip metalsupported on said table, fluid pressure means for swinging said pushersinto and out of non-projecting positions, parallel rails extending abovesaid table in position to lie along the sides of and align and guidecoils of strip metal supported on said table and thus prevent such coilsfrom becoming askew when said pushers impart rolling movement thereto,said rails being divided into sections, arms carrying the sections ofsaid rails, brackets extending outwardly at each side of said table,said arms being mounted on said brackets for pivotal adjustment to spacesaid rails for the accommodation of coils of strip metal of variouswidths, counterbalances also carried by said arms whereby the centers ofmass of said arms and the parts carried thereby are in proximity to theaxes of pivotal adjustment of said arms and means for locking said armsand the sections of rails carried thereby in adjusted positions.

7. A device for holding coils of strip metal comprising, in combination,a table, parallel rails extending above said table in position to liealong the sides of and align and guide coils of strip metal supported onsaid table and thus prevent such coils from becoming askew, said railsbeing divided into sections, arms carrying the sections of said rails,brackets extending outwardly at each side of said table, said arms beingmounted on said brackets for pivotal adjustment to space said rails forthe accommodation of coils of strip metal of various widths,counterbalances also carried by said arms whereby the centers of mass ofsaid arms and the parts carried thereby are in proximity to the axes ofpivotal adjustment of said arms and means for locking said arms and thesections of rails carried thereby in adjusted positions.

8. A device for holding coils of strip metal comprising, in combination,a table, parallel rails extending above said table in position to liealong the sides of and align and guide coils of strip metal supported onsaid table and thus prevent such coils from becoming askew, armscarrying said rails, said arms being mounted for pivotal adjustment tospace said rails for the accommodation of coils of strip metal ofvarious widths,

counterbalances also carried by said arms whereby the in combination, atable having openings in its upper surcenters of mass of said arms andthe parts carried thereby are in proximity to the axes of pivotaladjustment of said arms and means for locking said arms and the railscarried thereby in adjusted positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Clarket a1. Nov. 20,

